Made in USA, Adapted in USSR: History of Automatic Transmissions in Soviet Union

In the early 50-es, automatic transmissions were widely used on many American cars: customers were very enthusiastic about this solution, which significantly simplified the process of driving and made it much more comfortable, eliminating the need to shift gears manually. The success of this innovative transmission didn’t go unnoticed in the USSR. In this article, we will consider the main stages of transmission technologies development in the USSR on the examples of major Soviet carmakers ZIL, GAZ, and VAZ.

The history of relations between the Soviet Union and the US included glorious moments – victory in WW II, but also the post-war confrontation all over the world, which left a mark in the history of the world as the Cold War. And what is known about engineering achievements of two most powerful countries of the last century in the automobile industry? American companies such as Ford, GM, Chrysler need no introduction. These Auto Giants have made a significant contribution to the development of the automobile industry not only in the USA, but all over the world, too. In the post-war years, American engineers started equipping their passenger cars with innovative gear shifting systems known as automatic transmissions, which rapidly gained popularity among auto enthusiasts. And what were the technical solutions for passenger cars in the USSR? In this article, we will open the “Iron Curtain” and become familiar with transmission solutions used in Soviet cars.

The first hydraulic clutch in the USSR was designed in 1929, and the 1-st torque converter – in 1932-1934 in Bauman Moscow State Technical University. The first steps of Soviet engineers in the development of automated transmissions were made in the 30-s of the last century, when the Bureau of Hydraulic Gear Systems was established in Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg). This institution, among other tasks, was engaged in the development of hydromechanical transmissions for different machines – in particular, for vehicles produced by AMO-ZiL.

Then, all developments in the field of hydraulic gears were performed at ZIS (ZIL after 1956) plant, where the Bureau of Hydraulic Units was established in 1949. Here Soviet engineers worked on hydromechanical transmissions for all types of vehicles produced by the plant — passenger cars, buses, and even trucks. In addition, at the end of the 40-s the development of hydromechanical transmissions was also performed by specialists of the Central Scientific Research Automobile and Automotive Engines Institute, abbreviated as NAMI. However, at that time Soviet engineers still had no ready-made version of a fully automatic transmission, which could be mass-produced for passenger cars.

Transmission technologies for GAZ models

Engineers of the GAZ plant initially used designs of American cars as a basis for Soviet cars, and the first GAZ models of passenger cars were licensed copies of Ford models, thus it was decided to develop automatic transmissions for new GAZ models — in particular, the future Volga model.

The foundation of work on hydraulic gears at the GAZ plant was laid when GAZ engineers equipped a manual transmission of a ZIM limousine with a hydraulic clutch, positioned between the flywheel and the conventional clutch. The hydraulic clutch allowed a driver of the ZIM limousine to apply the brake and subsequently start moving without disengaging the clutch and the gear. It significantly simplified the process of driving and increased running smoothness. This transmission could not be considered as an automatic transmission, but it served as a vivid example of advantages provided by the introduction of a hydraulic element in the transmission design, thus becoming the point of departure in development of the automatic transmission.

For this purpose, the Soviets purchased several American-made cars of different makes (in particular, Ford Dodge, Coronet, and Plymouth Savoy) equipped with automatic transmissions.

American advertisements of Ford-O-Matic

Engineers of the GAZ plant disassembled and carefully examined the 3-speed automatic transmission Ford-O-Matic, designed for Ford by the specialized American company BorgWarner in 1950.

By 1955, pre-production prototypes of cars with the 1-st Soviet automatic transmission were fully completed. As a result, in 1957 GAZ launched mass production of the GAZ M-21 “Volga” car equipped with the automatic transmission. In terms of design, this solution was the copy of the abovementioned Ford transmission.

GAZ M-21(on the left) vs Ford Mainline(on the right)

However, it should be noted that Soviet engineers didn’t manage to completely copy this transmission, because it was intended for 6- and 8-cylinder engines, while the Volga GAZ M-21 was equipped with the 2,5-liter 4-cylinder engine with only 70 hp. Therefore, the new Soviet transmission received different gear ratios, but it didn’t help much. GAZ M-21 cars were notable for poor dynamics characteristics, shortages of ATF, and a low level of reliability. Moreover, the Soviet people didn’t know much about operating rules of cars with automatics. During operation, many automatic transmissions in GAZ M-21 overheated and got out of service. Therefore, GAZ produced only 700 automatic GAZ M-21 cars. Soon this transmission was recognized as a total failure and was replaced with a 3-speed manual transmission. However, this failure did not discourage GAZ engineers and soon came up with modified transmission solution for the following GAZ-13 model.

Transmission solutions in GAZ-13/GAZ-14 “Chaika”

The GAZ M-21 transmission was modified to be paired with the V-8 engine installed in the GAZ-13 “Chaika”, because the “Chaika” engine was almost three times more powerful than the Volga engine.

Images of the GAZ-13 “Chaika”

The modifications involved changes in gear ratios of the planetary part and conversion ratio in the torque converter. Moreover, the torque converter in “Chaika” was cooled with the help of a special fluid, while the GAZ-21 design used air-cooling due to a small volume of the cooling system. The process of gear shifting was performed with the help of two multi-disc clutches and two brand brakes – front brake (2-nd gear) and rear brake (1-st gear and reverse gear).

GAZ-13 vs Packard Patrician

A distinctive technical peculiarity of the transmission for the GAZ-13 model was the presence of a one-way clutch, which allowed smooth shifting from the 1-st to the 2-nd gear without any jerks. However, due to the presence of this element, it was impossible to perform engine braking while driving the “Chaika” in the 1-st gear. Therefore, engineers included a special T (engine braking) mode on the push-button gear selector, which had to be engaged when driving on a rough road or moving downhill. In practice, this mode of operation raised some apprehensions among Soviet drivers, since the transmission at ascents and descents could constantly shift up and down within the speed range from 36 to 40 km/h, which could have a negative impact on the road-holding capacity.

"Chaika" Transmission

The automatic transmission for the GAZ-13 model was also equipped with the kick-down mode — forced shifting to low gear when sharply pressing the gas pedal to the floor for more efficient acceleration during overtaking. When parked, the Chaika car remained stationary not using P mode (used in cars with more modern automatic transmissions), but by means of the central parking brake on the gearbox flange, the design of which was identical to the solution implemented in the Chrysler TorqueFlite transmission.

Gear selector design in the Chrysler TorqueFlite transmission and in GAZ-13

The process of gear shifting in the transmission installed on GAZ-13 was implemented not by a lever, but by a push-button selector (identical to the Chrysler PowerFlite transmission). The Soviet transmission included the following modes: Н (neutral), Д (drive), ЗХ (reverse), and Т (engine braking). This model is one of the most luxurious cars of the Soviet times. The legendary “Chaika” was intended for the heads of various large enterprises, public officials, ministers, and celebrities. The GAZ-13 “Chaika” model had been produced until 1981.

GAZ-14

In the following Chaika model (GAZ-14), engineers decided to resort to the “Volga” design, introducing several modifications. For moving forward, engineers designed 3 modes/gears, namely D, 2, and 1. All 3 gears were engaged when the selector was shifted to D mode. This mode was the main one for driving. The mode 2 was used for driving in difficult road conditions (snow, ice on road). When engaging mode 1, the speed was reduced to 40 km/h and the transmission was forcibly locked in first gear. At the same time, shifting from lower gear to higher gears occurred at different speeds depending on the position of the gas pedal – the lesser was degree of the throttle openness, the earlier higher gears were engaged. This functional peculiarity of the transmission operation simultaneously ensured running smoothness and sufficient acceleration dynamics.

GAZ-14 transmission (with a T-shaped lever) and its torque converter

The GAZ-14 model is notable for its Т-shaped selector lever. This lever ensured a sequential gear shifting order P-R-N-D-2-1 (accepted all over the world at that time).

Gear selector in GAZ-14

To park GAZ-14, the driver could engage both the central transmission brake on the prop/cardan shaft, and a fully functional handbrake with a foot pedal, affecting rear wheels. In the late 1980s, MADI developed a new automatic transmission with forced manual gear shifting feature (analog to Tiptronic) for the GAZ-14-07 model! However, later this project was cancelled and all technical documents for this model were eliminated.

Transmission solutions for ZIL models

Shortly after the start of engineering activities in the field of transmission solutions for ZIL models, Soviet engineers developed in Moscow an experimental hydromechanical transmission named Э111 for the ZIS-110 model, but this transmission was not fully automatic, as the main gear in this 2-speed planetary gearbox was the direct gear, while the reduction gear was engaged manually. ZIL engineers used the Dynaflow transmission installed in the 1947 Buick Roadmaster as a prototype. It is interesting to note that Soviet engineers didn’t have a real version of the American car at the plant, and the original design was recreated according to the data obtained from technical literature.

ZIL-111

Later, ZIL engineers, while working on transmission solutions for the future flagship of the Soviet passenger car industry — a luxury limousine ZIL-111, used as a prototype the Powerflite transmission installed in the 1953 Chrysler Crown Imperial C-59. In terms of the design, the hydromechanical transmission for ZIL-111 turned out to be very similar to the American version, despite a significant difference in parameters of Chrysler and ZIL models (primarily in weight). The main operational elements of the transmission for ZIL-111 were the following: torque converter, 2-speed planetary gearbox, hydraulic control system.

Powerflite transmission

The size of the torque converter for the ZIL-111 transmission was increased, as the engine of the Soviet car had a higher torque capacity. Subsequently, the torque converter design was simplified simultaneously improving smoothness of the gear shifting. The ZIL-111 transmission became a standard transmission option for ZIL-111 from the very beginning of their production in 1957. This transmission solution was used until 1975. During the years of production, ZIL engineers significantly improved the reliability of this transmission, enhanced the quality of gear shifting, and developed new fluid for this transmission.

ZIL-111 transmission

ZIL-111 torque converter

However, during operation, some significant shortcomings of this 2-speed transmission were revealed, which could not be eliminated by just improving the design of the transmission and its manufacturing technology. They include the following :

• Certain noise in the gears when the N gear is engaged. This problem is caused by rotation of the gears in this mode, and it can be avoided by usage of a different planetary gear scheme;
• Low efficiency of the transmission on the lower (reduction) gear due to the circulation of power in the planetary mechanism, which can also be avoided;
• The gear ratio of the first gear (1,72) turned out to be too high, but at the same time it did not allow to reach speeds of over 105 km / h, causing problems during overtaking performed on the second (direct) gear, even taking into account a significant engine capacity.

For this reason, in 1966 ZIL started development of a 3-speed hydromechanical transmission (gear ratios: I-2,02; II-1,42; III-1,00; З.Х.-1,42), however, it took almost a decade to launch a serial production of this transmission.

However, it should be noted that the long-term development process paid off, as the planetary mechanism for the new ZIL transmission turned out to be so original that the was granted with the invention certificate! The mechanical part of the transmission included 2 planetary mechanisms, 3 clutches, 2 band brakes, and one-way clutch. Since 1975, this transmission had been installed on ZIL-114/117 cars. Thus, it took two decades for Soviet engineers to design and develop their own unique automatic transmission.

ZIL-115 equipped with the modernized 3-speed automatic transmission

The following ZIL passenger cars also were equipped with even more sophisticated transmissions. In 1978, the new hydromechanical transmission 4104 was launched in production for the ZIL-4104 (115) model. Later, in 1982, the modification of the 4104 transmission resulted in the 4105 transmission production. This solution was notable for the lack of a rear pump and significantly simplified (without any harm to reliability) drive of the lock-up mechanism. Another update of the 4105 transmission performed in 1988 begot the new modification named 4105-01. This version had s significantly improved design of the one-way clutch and several neighboring components – this all increased the reliability of the transmission.

All GAZ and ZIL limousines for public officials were equipped with automatic transmissions

However, the experimental ZIL-4112Р, which was planned to become a new generation limousine for government officials of the Russian Federation, was not equipped with a domestic transmission but with the 5-speed automatic transmission Allison 1100.

Transmissions in Moskvitch 3-5-6 and VAZ-2103

It should be mentioned that in the Soviet time automatic transmissions were mainly installed on luxury limousines GAZ and ZIL for public officials, while ordinary cars had classic manual transmissions – to a great extent because complex automatic transmissions were a bad match for engines of small capacity. But of course there were exceptions! For example, the prototype of the Moskvich 3-5-6 was equipped with the 3-speed automatic transmission produced by BorgWarner. But unfortunately, this initiative – like similar experiments with Moskvich of the С-series – failed.

Lada 1500S Automatic

Soviet VAZ cars known as Zhiguli also were equipped with automatic transmissions! But to be honest, Lada 1500S Automatic was not produced by VAZ, but became a result of a successful tuning, performed by the Dutch importer of Lada. This car, like its successors, was equipped with the 3-speed automatic transmission by General Motors 3L30 (TH180) produced in France.

Modern Russia

If we refer to the automobile industry in modern Russia, it should be mentioned that automatic transmissions were installed only on Lada models ("Kalina", "Granta", "Priora", "Vesta", "X-Ray"). Depending on the model and configuration, cars come with a 4-speed automatic transmission from Jatco or robotic transmission based on the VAZ transmission solution equipped with execution modules responsible for the gear shifting supplied by the German company ZF.

In conclusion, it should be noted that despite huge efforts of Soviet engineers and interesting concepts, Soviet automatic transmissions didn’t become worthy competitors to their foreign analogs.